Liam Fox quits as defence secretary - BBC News BBC News Liam Fox quits as defence secretary 14 October 2011 From the section UK Politics comments Read more about sharing. Close share panel Media captionKey moments over the last seven days that proved fatal to Liam Fox's career in front line politics Defence Secretary Liam Fox has resigned after a week of pressure over his working relationship with friend and self-styled adviser Adam Werritty. Mr Fox was being investigated amid claims he broke the ministerial code. In a letter to David Cameron, Mr Fox said he had "mistakenly allowed" personal and professional responsibilities to be "blurred". Mr Cameron said he was very sorry to see him go. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will replace Mr Fox. Labour said Mr Fox had not upheld the standards expected of ministers and his departure had been "inevitable". Business cards The defence secretary has been under pressure since it emerged that Mr Werritty, a lobbyist, had met him on 18 foreign trips despite having no official role. Mr Werritty, a former flatmate of Mr Fox and the best man at his wedding, handed out business cards suggesting he was his adviser and was present at meetings Mr Fox had with military figures, diplomats and defence contractors.

In short he went before he was - in all probability - pushed By Nick RobinsonPolitical editor Questions were also raised about who paid for Mr Werritty's business activities and whether he had personally benefited from his frequent access to the defence secretary. No 10 sources said that the prime minister had been willing to give Mr Fox time to stay in his job - at least until the details of a report by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell into his conduct were published early next week. Mr Fox has been replaced by Transport Secretary Mr Hammond. In a mini-reshuffle caused by Mr Fox's departure, Treasury minister Justine Greening has replaced Mr Hammond - becoming the fifth woman in the Cabinet. In a statement released on Friday night, Mr Hammond said his predecessor had done a "brilliant job". "I look forward to picking up the baton from Liam and working closely with the prime minister, foreign secretary and international development secretary to ensure that our defences are robust and that the finances that lie behind them are equally robust," he added. National interest In his resignation letter, Mr Fox said he had "mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred". "The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days," he added.

"I am very sorry for this. "I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. "I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as secretary of state for defence." ANALYSIS By Jonathan BealeDefence correspondent, BBC News Liam Fox was far from universally popular with either the military or Ministry of Defence civil servants. He arrived at the MoD with energy and vigour, unafraid to ruffle feathers and determined to sort out what he called the Labour legacy of the "car crash" of the MoD's finances. He said he had to fill a black hole of more than £38bn. That meant brutal cuts to iconic military kit - scrapping the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the Harrier jump jets and the new Nimrod spy planes. He ordered a series of painful redundancies for all three services but few doubt that, without him, cuts could have been even more severe. Friends of Liam Fox said he loved the job. He wanted to leave a legacy of a military machine that was fit for the next decade. He also pushed ahead with reforms that he hoped would end the overspends and late delivery on military kit.

Despite warnings from military chiefs that they were overstretched Liam Fox managed to maintain Britain's commitment to Afghanistan and to begin the fight on a second front - Libya. Helping bring about an end to the Gaddafi regime looks like his most obvious achievement. The rest remains unfinished business. Robinson: Gone but not forgotten? Responding to Mr Fox's resignation, Mr Cameron said: "I understand your reasons for deciding to resign as defence secretary, although I am very sorry to see you go. "We have worked closely for these last six years, and you have been a key member of my team throughout that time." He said Mr Fox, MP for North Somerset for 19 years, had "done a superb job in the 17 months since the election, and as shadow defence secretary before that" and had overseen changes that would allow the armed forces to "meet the challenges of the modern era". The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said the prime minister had given Mr Fox time to defend himself but the defence secretary had struggled to stem the tide of questions about his dealings with Mr Werritty.

No 10 had come to the conclusion on Thursday that Mr Fox's position was becoming untenable, he added, and Mr Fox had reluctantly reached the same view. 'Inconceivable' Mr Fox apologised to MPs earlier this week about how his links with Mr Werritty had been perceived but he maintained there had been no impropriety. Labour said Mr Fox had "fallen foul of the standards expected of ministers and broken the rules". "The facts have caught up with Liam Fox and he had to resign," shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said. "It was inconceivable that once a minister had been seen to break their own code of conduct on so many occasions that he could survive." And former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said recent events had undermined Mr Fox's authority and morale at his department. "Mr Fox has bowed to the inevitable," he said. "It had become impossible for him to draw a line under the story." But Conservative MPs rallied behind Mr Fox, saying he had made a major contribution in his time at the Ministry of Defence and some suggested he could, one day, return to government.

MINISTERIAL CHANGES Transport Secretary Philip Hammond replaces Mr Fox at Ministry of Defence Mr Hammond is succeeded by Justine Greening, number three at the Treasury Ms Greening is succeeded as economic secretary by assistant whip Chloe Smith Greg Hands becomes a whip Sir Malcolm Rifkind, a former defence secretary, said Mr Fox had done an "extremely good" job and his departure was "very, very distressing" as it would lead to further upheaval at the MoD. Conservative backbencher Peter Bone told the BBC Mr Fox had made errors but they did not constitute a "hanging offence". "He said he made mistakes and with hindsight he wouldn't have done it but I didn't think that was enough to require him to resign," he said. "But when the story, every news item, isn't about what's happening in Afghanistan and what's happening in Libya but who said what to who then he put his country first and resigned." David Pasley, a Tory councillor in Mr Fox's North Somerset constituency, described the MP as "hard working" and "diligent", and said he was "deeply saddened" by Friday's events. But he added: "He's someone who you can't keep down.

"He has got such experience in his political career that I'm sure it will just be a question of time before he's back, and I hope he's back very soon in a high profile position." Liam Fox resigns | Politics | The Guardian Liam Fox resigns Defence secretary crumples under weight of this week's revelations concerning his links to Adam Werritty Liam Fox has resigned as defence secretary. Photograph: Kerim Okten/EPA Friday 14 October 2011 11.21 EDT First published on Friday 14 October 2011 11.21 EDT Close This article is 5 years old The defence secretary has resigned his position with "great sadness", folding under the pressure of daily revelations about the man he gave access to the heart of government and British defence strategy. Liam Fox became the first of Cameron's Conservative cabinet ministers to leave in the 17-month life of the coalition and now triggers the prime minister's first reshuffle, an operation he had wanted to avoid until half way through the parliament.

Though the chief secretary to the Treasury, David Laws, resigned only 17 days into the formation of the coalition, that was by necessity only a reshuffle of Lib Dem cabinet ministers since the coalition agreement stipulates there must be five in the cabinet. It is expected Cameron will perform a limited reshuffle, merely replacing Fox without going reorganising his entire government lineup. Rumours that the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, would be Fox's replacement were dubbed speculation by his office within half an hour of Fox's resignation. Other names rumoured to be in the frame include the northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, and the international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell. It was even suggested that the former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind currently on the backbenches, could be recalled to the cabinet. That would avoid the need to replace someone in another cabinet post. Downing Street insisted Fox had not been pushed into resigning over the activities of his friend Adam Werritty but it was a decision taken by him with "dignity". However, senior figures inside Downing Street were worried that the former defence secretary's position had become untenable when fresh stories emerged in the first editions of newspapers on Thursday night.

Cameron's team were alarmed that journalists had began to establish where the funding for Adam Werritty's lobbying activities had come from. The Times unearthed a corporate intelligence company with a close interest in Sri Lanka, a property investor who lobbies for Israel and a venture capitalist keen on strong ties to fund the £147,000 bill he notched up on travel and hotels, sometimes including first class travel and five-star hotels. In his resignation to the prime minister , Fox said: "I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this. "I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as secretary of state for defence – a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held." Fox crumpled under the weight of this week's revelations and the prospect of another weekend of speculation. He could not hold out until the inquiry into his behaviour wound up officially – expected to be at some point next week.

The prime minister had always held out the right to exercise his own judgment and keep Fox in his post even if the report were critical, but the defence secretary decided to bypass the process and limit the personal and political damage. It is understood that Werritty's appearance before Sir Gus O'Donnell – the man performing the inquiry to establish the propriety of his work – did not impress the cabinet secretary. In his response to Fox's resignation letter , the prime minster said Fox had overseen key changes in the Ministry of Defence "which will ensure that they are fully equipped to meet the challenges of the modern era". He added: "You can be proud of the difference you have made in your time in office, and in helping our party to return to government. "I appreciate your commitment to the work of this government, particularly highlighting the need to tackle the deficit, and the relationship between Britain's economic strength and our national security." Fox was a well-liked secretary of state for defence overseeing a successful campaign in Libya, though he did disagree with the prime minster over the way it was carried out.

In his resignation statement, he said: "I am proud also to have played a part in helping to liberate the people of Libya, and I regret that I will not see through to its conclusion Britain's role in Afghanistan, where so much progress has been made. Their bravery, dedication and professionalism are second to none." Fox will now join the backbenches where he enjoys some popularity but it is not expected he will act as a lightning rod for discontent.

In his resignation statement, Fox said: "I appreciate all the support you have given me – and will continue to support the vital work of this government, above all in controlling the enormous budget deficit we inherited, which is a threat not just to this country's economic prosperity but also to its national security." William Hague dismisses claims that Liam Fox's friend had helped run a shadow foreign policy as 'fanciful' Published: 16 Oct 2011 Opposition calls on government to widen investigation into links with Adam Werritty Published: 15 Oct 2011 Jim Murphy: There must be an independent inquiry into 'shadow operations' within this government Published: 15 Oct 2011 Labour and Lib Dem politicians have stepped up demands for the PM to explain ministers' involvement with Atlantic Bridge Published: 15 Oct 2011 Liam Fox resigns: Defence Secretary finally quits after over Adam Werritty scandal | Daily Mail Online Next Secret cash trail that meant Fox HAD to go: Defence Secretary resigns after claim he 'personally asked Tory donor to fund his best man' Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is named as his replacement at the MoD with Justine Greening taking his job Dr Fox admits he '

mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my Government activities to become blurred' 'The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days,' he said as he quit David Cameron says he is very sorry but 'understands reasons' Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy says 'this was unavoidable and inevitable' Liam Fox, Britain’s Defense Minister, Resigns - The New York Times The New York Times Europe |British Defense Minister Resigns Search Continue reading the main story LONDON — Britain ’s defense minister, Liam Fox , resigned abruptly on Friday after more than a week of damaging newspaper headlines about his personal and professional relationship with a 33-year-old man who accompanied him on numerous official trips abroad and appeared to have brokered access for wealthy people who shared Mr.

Fox’s interest in fostering still closer ties with the United States and Israel. The resignation of Mr. Fox, one of the most senior figures in the British cabinet, was a major blow for Prime Minister David Cameron ’s 17-month-old government and Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party, which counts Mr. Fox as the effective standard-bearer in the cabinet for the party’s right wing. A desire to avoid alienating the powerful right-wing bloc of Conservative backbenchers appeared to have been one reason Mr. Cameron had not already ousted Mr. Fox. Mr. Cameron quickly replaced him with Philip Hammond, the transportation secretary. Mr. Hammond, in turn, was replaced by Justine Greening, formerly a junior treasury minister, an appointment that should soften criticism that Mr. Cameron’s cabinet has few women in powerful posts. Mr. Fox revealed his decision to quit in a letter to Mr. Cameron, effectively pre-empting an internal inquiry the prime minister had ordered into his relationship with his close friend, Adam Werritty.

The official charged with the inquiry, Britain’s top civil servant, Gus O’Donnell, had been expected to submit his findings next week, and there was a widespread expectation that it would be harshly critical and force Mr. Fox out. Continue reading the main story Mr. Fox’s resignation letter made no mention of Mr. Werritty, his companion on 18 trips abroad while Mr. Fox was defense minister. According to Defense Ministry records, Mr. Werritty was also at a number of meetings Mr. Fox held with senior foreign officials, including a dinner in Tampa, Fla., in July 2010 with American military officials, including Gen. John R. Allen, now the NATO commander in Afghanistan. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Official records made public in recent days showed that Mr. Werritty, born in Scotland, like Mr. Fox, and best man at his wedding in 2005, had also visited him 22 times in the Defense Ministry headquarters since the May 2010 elections that put the Cameron government in office. At one point in the Conservatives’ years in opposition, the two were London roommates, in a property whose mortgage was paid out of Mr. Fox’s parliamentary expenses.

“As you know, I have always placed a great deal of importance on accountability and responsibility,” Mr. Fox said in his resignation letter, which was released by his aides. “As I said in the House of Commons on Monday, I mistakenly allowed the distinction between my personal interest and my government activities to become blurred. The consequences of this have become clearer in recent days. I am very sorry for this.” He added: “I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard. I have therefore decided, and with great sadness, to resign from my post as secretary of state for defense — a position which I am immensely proud and honored to have held.” Mr. Cameron responded with a letter that said he was “very sorry” to see Mr. Fox go and lauded his performance in the defense post, which included overseeing Britain’s participation in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Libya, as well as the harshest cuts in Britain’s defense budget in decades. Those were part of broad and painful spending reductions as the Cameron government grappled with a debt and deficit crisis. Photo Liam Fox, until Friday a British cabinet official.

Credit Jon Super/Associated Press “You have done a superb job in the 17 months since the election, and as shadow defense secretary before that,” Mr. Cameron said, calling Mr. Fox’s tenure a time of “fundamental changes in the Ministry of Defense and in our armed forces” as they modernized. “On Libya, you played a key role in the campaign to stop people being massacred by the Qaddafi regime and instead win their freedom,” he said, adding, “I appreciate your commitment to the work of this government, particularly highlighting the need to tackle the deficit, and the relationship between Britain’s economic strength and our national security.” Mr. Werritty has at no time held any official position on the Defense Ministry staff or in Mr. Fox’s personal office. In Mr. Fox’s public statements before his resignation, he said that the relationship was a personal one and that he had rebuked Mr. Werritty for using business cards carrying the House of Commons logo that identified him as an “adviser” to Mr. Fox. Mr. Fox also said that Mr. Werritty’s income did not depend on any “transactional” activity during the foreign trips they made together or in contacts with those Mr.

Werritty introduced to Mr. Fox in his role as a self-styled defense consultant. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy In recent days, articles in major British newspapers have suggested that the two men may have had an intimate relationship, and reporters have asked Mr. Fox, 50, whether it was sexual. Mr. Fox has answered obliquely, while other Conservative politicians have said that he is happily married to his wife, Jesme. On Monday, he used a 75-minute confrontation with opposition Labour politicians in the Commons to denounce the “innuendo” and “undermining” he said he had endured. After an initial inquiry by a senior Defense Ministry official concluded last weekend that there was no evidence of any security breach, Mr. Cameron deferred any decision on Mr. Fox pending the conclusion of the O’Donnell inquiry. But the torrent of damaging headlines continued to build, even as Mr. Fox went to Paris on Thursday to meet with his French counterpart. Advertisement Continue reading the main story On Friday, Mr.

Fox returned to a report in The Times of London that a not-for-profit company established by Mr. Werritty, Pagav Ltd., had received payments of about $230,000 from people with interests in promoting closer British ties with Israel, the United States and Sri Lanka. The newspaper said that some of the money was used by Mr. Werritty to pay for his overseas journeys with Mr. Fox. Jim Murphy, the Labour Party’s shadow defense minister, demanded a public inquiry into what he called “the off-the-books, shady sort of arrangement” that he said had allowed Mr. Fox, with Mr. Werritty’s help, to promote foreign policy interests that were favored by the right wing of the Conservative Party. But there was no mention of any of this in the correspondence between Mr. Fox and Mr. Cameron on Friday. Mr. Cameron has also faced criticism for what some opponents have described as a lack of decisiveness in handling troubling personnel issues. This year, many Conservatives voiced dismay at his failure to heed warnings about his former Downing Street media chief, Andy Coulson. Mr. Coulson was hired by Mr. Cameron for the Conservatives in 2007 after Mr.

Coulson resigned as editor of The News of the World, now defunct. He stepped down from his government job in January as the police stepped up their investigation of phone-hacking and other accusations of newsroom wrongdoings at the tabloid, and was among the 16 people arrested this summer in the inquiry. Mr. Fox has been an outspoken proponent of close relations with the United States and Israel at a time when many British politicians, especially on the left, have become increasingly skeptical of alliances that tie those countries too closely. While still in opposition before the Conservatives’ victory last year, he established a foundation, Atlantic Bridge, as a forum for fostering closer ties with the United States, and appointed Mr. Werritty as its executive director. The organization drew financial backing from wealthy individuals on both sides of the Atlantic, but was closed last year after questions were raised about its tax-free status as a charity. A version of this article appears in print on October 15, 2011, on Page A4 of the New York edition with the headline: British Defense Minister Resigns Over a Friend’s Political Access and Influence.

Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe Why Liam Fox had to resign | Politics | The Guardian The Observer Why Liam Fox had to resign Whitehall was caught off guard, but even his rightwing allies were not shocked at the defence secretary's resignation Conservatives want the new defence secretary Philip Hammond to reassure rightwingers at a meeting of the 1922 committee that was in Fox's diary. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images Saturday 15 October 2011 16.30 EDT First published on Saturday 15 October 2011 16.30 EDT Share on Messenger Close At 4.15pm on Friday, as civil servants walked out of the Ministry of Defence and blinked into the sunlight after a long and difficult week, one official struck up a conversation with a journalist on the pavement. "What is the mood like in there?" the reporter asked. "One of resignation," the mandarin said swiftly, before laughing at the accidental double-meaning behind his remark. It was a rare, light moment at the climax of a turbulent 10 days.

The entire MoD staff was coming to terms with the news that had broken less than an hour earlier, of the departure of their fifth secretary of state since 2005. Across Whitehall there was disorientation – but little sense of shock. David Cameron's decision to give Liam Fox time to defend himself over his links with his friend and self-styled adviser, Adam Werritty , while the cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell investigated, had given the press a deadline to find the smoking gun. Their hunt became more fruitful by the day and since midweek Fox's demise had looked inevitable. Finally, at around 2.30pm on Friday, as the media homed in on a cache of lethal evidence, exposing details of the corporate interests that had been funding Werritty's trips around the world with the secretary of state, Fox telephoned Cameron in his Oxfordshire constituency to tell him that the game was up. Even among MPs on the right of the Tory party, who had long seen the 51-year-old Scot as a lonely and vital standard bearer for their brand of Conservatism in a coalition cabinet too inclined to bend to the will of Lib Dems, the reaction was one of acceptance. Their fight was lost.

On Monday, in the House of Commons, backbenchers, including the former defence and foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind, had rallied stoutly to Fox's cause. But, after Fox resigned, Rifkind's tone, and that of others, was very different as they recognised that Fox had shown unacceptable lapses of judgment. "It was inevitable after what has emerged in the last few days," Rifkind said. As the Conservative party analyses the consequences of the debacle this weekend, there is broad agreement on one thing – that Cameron played the Fox crisis well. In that sense the prime minister, oddly, emerges stronger. No prime minister likes to lose a senior cabinet minister to a scandal unearthed by the press. Equally, as Cameron showed, no sensible prime minister should decide the fate of a potential future rival without allowing the case against him or her to be scrupulously investigated, and nailed one way or the other. Cameron had been well aware that, if mishandled, the Fox crisis could have become his crisis, or at least his headache for years to come. The crafty and capable Fox had built a loyal base both in the parliamentary party, and in the party in the country, over many years.

Everyone knew he still had leadership ambitions and so had cast his net of supporters wide. One Tory MP said of him: "He has that twinkle in his eye that tells you he is very, very ambitious." In the Tory leadership race of 2005 Fox won the support of a very credibitable 51 MPs in the final ballot, against 57 for David Davis and 90 for Cameron. Since then he has attracted more backers from the new intake of 2010. Born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, and a product of state education, he had always appealed particularly to the non-public school, Thatcherite element of the party, often delighting them with tub-thumping eurosceptic speeches at party conferences. But Fox has been much more than a populist domestic operator. He built a certain gravitas in the party by weaving a powerful web of contacts abroad, particularly in the US, through his now defunct charity Atlantic Bridge, fostering links with rightwing US Republicans and tuning into the most fashionable thinking on the right of politics, across the Atlantic. Radical thinking on the future of healthcare, scepticism about climate change, low taxes, were all causes that appealed to upcoming politicians on the right.

A few weeks ago, Lady Thatcher turned up at his 50th birthday party, reminding the Conservatives he was very much her favoured son. Had Cameron listened to those who urged him to show "strong leadership" by turfing Fox out when the Werritty affair first broke, he could have regretted it. "David will have known that it was better to keep Liam in the cabinet if possible after this, where he would have been weakened, and no trouble. The last thing he wanted was an aggrieved Fox and aggrieved Fox supporters on the backbenches. But if this was not to be possible and he had to get rid of him he had to have a cast-iron case," said a minister. As it was, Fox fell on his own sword and Cameron emerged with no blood on his hands at all. Few in the Tory party now believe that Fox himself represents a substantial threat to Cameron on the backbenches. Not only has his credibility been shot but the feeling is that the mantle should now pass to one of the younger generation, from the intakes of 2001, 2005 or 2010. But that does not mean his resignation is without dangers for the PM.

In other ways the departure of Fox has compounded Cameron's already considerable difficulties with managing the right of his party while in coalition with Nick Clegg's Lib Dems. Yesterday some rightwing Tory MPs and activists were complaining that with the appointment of Philip Hammond as Fox's successor, Cameron had failed to show due respect to the right. Hammond is seen as not rightwing enough. Tim Montgomerie, the influential editor of the ConservativeHome website for grassroots Tories, said the prime minister "had not taken that extra care to retain the balance of the cabinet". It is a feeling widely held, but as yet only privately stated, by most on the right. The right saw Fox as a restraining influence on the centrist drift of policy under Cameron, and fear his absence. "We saw him as a balance against any Liberal extravagance," said one senior backbencher with influence in the party. "He was a restraining influence on the uber-modernisation tendencies and that influence has been removed." Tory MPs now want Hammond to address and reassure them on Tuesday at a meeting of the 1922 committee – an appointment that had been in Fox's diary.

They say they will be watching the direction of policy carefully and will kick up if there is any sign of further defence cuts or even a hint of sympathy for closer co-operation with the European Union on defence policy. "We will also be looking for political balance when Cameron conducts his main reshuffle next spring or summer. There would be some concern if it was felt our view were not reflected in the cabinet then," said a prominent figure on the 1922 committee. Somehow, Cameron has emerged with credit, so far, from the departure of the first Tory from his cabinet. Fox is no longer a serious potential leader of the right. But there is a big gap in the market for someone who is – and when he or she is found Cameron will have to be on his guard. Tycoon who cost Liam Fox his Cabinet job bankrolls bid to oust him | Daily Mail Online comments The businessman who forced Liam Fox to resign from the Cabinet by revealing he was travelling the world with a bogus 'adviser' is the secret paymaster behind a campaign to oust him as an MP.

In 2011, it was revealed Dr Fox, the then Defence Secretary, had taken close friend Adam Werritty with him on 18 overseas trips as part of his official party, funded by private donors and business interests, and given him frequent access to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Dubai-based Harvey Boulter was first to disclose Dr Fox and Mr Werritty's unorthodox relationship and now The Mail on Sunday has learnt he has donated £30,000 to Ukip candidate Ian Kealey – Dr Fox's main opponent in his North Somerset constituency. Mr Boulter's intervention may prove decisive. North Somerset is high on Ukip's list of target seats, and it came top there in last year's European Parliament elections As well as the donation, Mr Boulter is paying for a billboard poster to be displayed in the area. It shows Dr Fox and Mr Werritty together at the former's wedding accompanied by the slogan 'Vote Him, Get Him' Dr Fox's relationship with Mr Werritty erupted into controversy when it emerged the MP had allowed his friend to create the 'misleading impression' he had an official Government position.

It was also revealed Mr Werritty had been Dr Fox's best man at his 2005 wedding. An inquiry by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell found Dr Fox had breached the Ministerial Code. RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share As well as the donation, a UK company Mr Boulter controls is paying for a billboard poster to be displayed in the area. It shows the MP and Mr Werritty together at Dr Fox's wedding accompanied by the slogan 'Vote Him, Get Him'. Mr Boulter's intervention may prove decisive. North Somerset is high on Ukip's list of target seats, and it came top there in last year's European Parliament elections. Mr Kealey, 56, a nuclear physicist-turned-farmer, said yesterday: 'Harvey's generous donation is making quite a big difference, enabling us to get the Ukip message across with a series of newsletters and other campaign activities.' Following the scandal, Dr Fox, 56, resigned, apologising for 'errors of judgment' and mixing up his professional and personal loyalties Mr Boulter said he believed North Somerset 'deserved better' than Dr Fox.

He added: 'I believe it is true that Ukip is best positioned to unseat him.' If that happens it will be sweet revenge for Mr Boulter. Although his main revelations were unchallenged, Dr Fox sued him for libel over comments he made in an unbroadcast portion of a TV interview published online. Last year he settled and paid damages. Mr Werritty, 36, lived rent-free in Dr Fox's flat. He had no security clearance, but attended meetings inside the MoD on numerous occasions, and carried a business card which falsely claimed he was an official 'advisor'. The scandal began when he presented this to Mr Boulter at a meeting in Dubai to discuss a business deal with the MoD. Following the scandal, Dr Fox, 56, resigned, apologising for 'errors of judgment' and mixing up his professional and personal loyalties.

Last night he said: 'I look forward to fighting the election on the issues that affect my constituents in North Somerset.' Liam Fox resigns | The Independent Liam Fox resigns Friday 14 October 2011 16:58 BST Click to follow 1/1 EPA Liam Fox tonight resigned as Defence Secretary over his links with his close friend, lobbyist Adam Werritty. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron, Dr Fox said that he had "mistakenly" allowed the distinction between his personal interest and government activities to become "blurred". "I have also repeatedly said that the national interest must always come before personal interest. I now have to hold myself to my own standard," he said. "I have therefore decided, with great sadness, to resign from my post as Secretary of State for Defence - a position which I have been immensely proud and honoured to have held." In his response, Mr Cameron paid tribute to the "superb job" which Dr Fox had done at the Ministry of Defence. "I understand your reasons for deciding to resign as Defence Secretary, although I am very sorry to see you go," he said.

"We have worked closely for these last six years, and you have been a key member of my team throughout that time." The announcement comes after days of damaging speculation over the relationship between Dr Fox and his 33-year-old best man and former flatmate. Mr Werritty was questioned for a second time today by a senior official from the Cabinet Office as part of the Whitehall investigation headed by Sir Gus O'Donnell. Employment Minister Chris Grayling, a close ally of Dr Fox who was his campaign manager during the 2005 campaign for the Conservative leadership, said he had taken a "brave and probably correct decision". Mr Grayling, who spoke to the former defence secretary following his decision to resign, told the Press Association: "It is a great shame. I am very saddened for Liam. "He has done a really good job in turning around the Ministry of Defence at an extraordinarily difficult time. "I very much hope that in due course he will be able to make a return to government." Shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy said: "This was unavoidable and inevitable. "Throughout these events I haven't called for Liam Fox's resignation but just the full truth. "Governments must have rules and ministers must have standards.

Liam Fox fell foul of the standards and he broke the rules. It was clear early on that he had breached the Ministerial Code." He added: "This issue has centred solely on his judgment and his conduct in one of the most serious jobs in the country. "With so much at stake for our forces, the Defence Secretary must be focused solely on his public duties. "The Government has shown how out of touch it is by spending the whole of the last week worrying about how to save Liam Fox's job. That time should have been better spent trying to save the jobs of tens of thousands of hard-working people." Tory backbencher Mark Pritchard said he hoped Dr Fox could return to government at some stage. "Liam Fox will be remembered as a defence secretary who started the necessary fundamental reform of the Ministry of Defence," he said. "He inherited a £38 billion black hole from Labour which he successfully tackled while maintaining the necessary levels of defence for the nation.

"That reconciliation was a very difficult test yet he undertook it with skill and understanding of defence issues." He added: "I hope that in the future he could return to the government." Senior Tory backbencher Bernard Jenkin, a former shadow defence secretary, told PA: "I am very sorry that Liam has felt compelled to resign, but he will know that he is doing the right thing. "The main concern must now be to ensure continuity in the MoD, one of the most challenging of departments, at a time when our armed servicemen and women are highly stretched on combat operations." Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: "Dr Fox has bowed to the inevitable. It had become impossible for him to draw a line under the story. "These events had undoubtedly begun to affect his authority and the morale of his Department." Other MPs paid tribute to the former Defence Secretary on Twitter. Defence Minister Peter Luff said: "For the record, Liam Fox was doing a genuinely outstanding job in Defence, driving through essential change - change we must continue." Corby MP Louise Mensch said she was "very sorry indeed" at Dr Fox's resignation, describing him as "an outstanding Secretary of State for Defence and a completely dedicated minister".

Daventry MP Chris Heaton-Harris wrote: "So the best Defence Secretary since 1997 has resigned. Very sorry for Liam & for Jesme." Dr Fox telephoned Mr Cameron in his Oxfordshire constituency to inform him of his decision to resign. It is understood that the Prime Minister had been prepared to let him carry on until Sir Gus had completed his inquiry - despite the prospect of another weekend of damaging headlines - before reaching a decision. Dr Fox received strong support from Tory backbenchers when he appeared in the Commons on Monday and, despite a difficult relationship in the past, Mr Cameron appeared reluctant to wield the axe unless it was clear he to go. There has been no suggestion that Dr Fox profited personally in any way from the relationship, but there have been increasing questions as to what Mr Werritty and backers were getting from it. Many of his supporters share Dr Fox's strong pro-Atlanticist, pro-Israel views and MPs have questioned whether he was effectively running a parallel private operation, circumventing his official civil service private office. Labour MP Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central), a former officer in the Paras, said Dr Fox had done "the right thing" by resigning.

"Over the last week we have been shocked by the facts which have come to light over numerous breaches of the Ministerial Code," said Mr Jarvis. "Liam Fox has fallen short of the standards expected by our Armed Forces on the front line, the electorate and his colleagues. "The Prime Minister has spent the last week trying to save the job of Liam Fox, when his efforts would have been best served trying to save the jobs of thousands of military personnel who face redundancy and thousands of people across the country who are worried about their future in the current climate." Defence Minister Peter Luff said he hoped Dr Fox would be able to return to government after a period on the backbenches. Mr Luff told BBC News: "As a minister he was genuinely outstanding. He had that clarity of purpose and that firmness of purpose which you need to be a Cabinet minister, and we haven't got many of them in British politics.

"We need people of quality and I think the country would be well-served by his return in due course." Conservative MP Bob Stewart (Beckenham), a former Army officer who served as UN commander in Bosnia, paid tribute to Dr Fox, telling the BBC: "Fundamentally he was well-respected and he has done a seriously good job in the Ministry of Defence in my view. "Now Liam Fox has resigned, we need urgently to have a new Secretary of State for Defence in post, because these shenanigans don't actually help our Armed Forces, who are fighting a bloody conflict in Afghanistan." Mr Cameron later said he was "sorry" to see Dr Fox go and would be announcing a new Defence Secretary "very shortly". In a televised comment filmed in his Oxfordshire constituency, the Prime Minister said: "I quite understand why Liam Fox has decided to resign, though obviously I am sorry to see him go. "He did a good job at the Ministry of Defence, clearing up the mess left by the last government and giving good leadership to that department, particularly while we have been in action in Libya and also, of course, in Afghanistan as well.

"I wish him well for the future and I will be announcing a replacement very shortly." Asked whether he had made an error of judgment in allowing the affair to run on all week, the Prime Minister said: "I think it is quite right to take the time to establish the facts in a case, rather than rushing to judgment." Former Defence Secretary and Conservative MP for Kensington, Sir Malcolm Rifkind told BBC Radio 4's PM programme Dr Fox's resignation was "inevitable, given what has emerged in the last few days". Asked what Dr Fox was guilty of, he said "poor judgment", adding: "There's no hint of impropriety, or corruption or illegality or anything of that kind, but believing that he could have this private arrangement that enabled him to maintain lots of political contacts and pursue some of his political objectives in parallel with being a Secretary of State, but with the framework of Government, that was going to be an accident waiting to happen." He added he was "very pleased" the decision was one that Dr Fox took himself, rather than one that was forced upon him simply by the "remorseless pressure of the events" day after day.

PA Dr Liam Fox must resign or get sack – The Sun IF Liam Fox hasn’t resigned by the time you read this, David Cameron should sack him — and use the chance for a major Cabinet shake-up. The Prime Minister is backing his Defence Secretary — just — but only until the findings of a snap inquiry land on his desk today. It is now clear from his statement last night that Dr Fox misled, if not told an outright lie, to his officials and Labour’s Jim Murphy. His position is, in a word, untenable. Dr Fox, always hovering as a leadership rival, holds one of the three great offices of State. But he has disqualified himself by refusing to explain why he gave best pal Adam Werritty the run of Whitehall’s most sensitive corridors of power. Nor does he adequately explain his old flatmate’s puzzling role at his side during commercially important foreign missions without security clearance. It is not enough for him to order an inquiry into his own conduct. The question is, did he KNOW his best man and rent-free flatmate was masquerading as his official “adviser”? Such a high-powered tag oozes access-and-influence. The MoD is a citadel of secrecy. Nobody enters unless invited.

Walk into its offices and you will see officials frantically drawing desk-sized blinds over confidential documents. Mr Werritty was in there once a month! Dr Fox faces a rough ride at defence questions in the Commons today if he turns up at all. Unless he absolutely nails allegations of impropriety, which over several days he has failed to do, he must go. It is a sad moment for a man who hoped to be Prime Minister and a fortnight ago celebrated his 50th birthday in the company of Baroness Thatcher and David Cameron. But last night, amid the whiff of looming political death, it was hard to find friends of Dr Fox at Westminster. This is his misfortune but it presents Mr Cameron with a useful, if unwanted, opportunity. The PM hates reshuffles but this gives him the chance to follow Ed Miliband, freshen up his team and get rid of some problems. The black spot has hovered over Lib-Dem energy zealot Chris Huhne since he dumped his wife, Vicky, and shacked up with a part-time lesbian. Worse, for him, is the alleged speeding points swap with Vicky which, if proven, amounts to a perversion of justice.

The Plods have been almost criminally slow in deciding whether to press charges. Mr Huhne’s domestic betrayal is his own business but he is also distrusted by fellow ministers, not least his leader Nick Clegg. This weekend he was accused of leaking poison about a colleague and tweeting desperately to cover it up. Duplicitous Huhne would be no loss to government but he would be a relentless mischief-maker on the backbenches. The same applies to the most important reshuffle casualty of all, Ken Clarke. The breezy bruiser has been a pain in every Tory leader’s backside except fellow Brussels fanatic Ted Heath. But despite slapping him down publicly over last week’s “cat-flap” row with Theresa May, Mr Cameron is reluctant to kill him off. Now is his chance to deal with the man who has single-handedly blown the Tories’ reputation on crime and punishment. Red Ed Miliband has sharpened his front bench by promoting talented young women and, in Chuka Ummuna, perhaps the first black Labour leader. Mr Cameron has plenty of talent of his own to promote. Transport supremo Philip Hammond is a safe pair of hands who could easily replace Fox.

Crazy Justine Greening is perfectly named — and well-qualified after a successful Treasury stint — to take Huhne’s job at energy. Amid fears that the lights may start to go out, she could scrap crazy carbon taxes and call a halt to costly windmills. Welfare minister Chris Grayling is ripe for Cabinet promotion. The bugbear of the Coalition is finding Cabinet slots for four Lib-Dems. It’s too soon to bring back David Laws but Mr Cameron could promote Jeremy Browne or Ed Davey. Fox has shot himself in the foot. Today, Mr Cameron should put him out of his misery. YouGov | Liam Fox resignation Liam Fox resignation Joined the London YouGov office in September 2011 in on October 19, 2011, 4:13 p.m. Over half of the British public think former Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox's private life had no impact on his ability to do his job, our results for last weekend's Sunday Times , taken just prior to Fox's resignation, can reveal.

Yet, in another poll taken in light of Fox having since stepped down, the majority of people support his resignation, with nearly three quarters of people feeling that Fox himself is to blame for making poor judgements and breaking ministerial rules. Dr Fox recently stepped down after concerns surrounding his working relationship with friend Adam Werritty.

In a poll conducted just before Fox’s resignation, over a half (58%) of Brits said his private life was his own business and had no impact on his ability as Defence Secretary Compared to 31% who said that it did have an impact However, in a second poll conducted just after Fox’s resignation, the majority (73%) of people think it was right for Dr Fox to resign Compared to just 6% who feel it was wrong (and 21% who don’t know) In the same post-resignation poll, 72% say Dr Fox himself is to blame for making poor judgements and breaking ministerial rules Compared to 12% who feel the media is at fault for ‘hounding Fox over relatively minor misjudgements’ (and 15% who are not sure) 53% of people say Cameron, who supported Fox, was right to try and keep the Defence Secretary in his job while his conduct and contacts with Adam Werritty were fully investigated Compared to 31% who feel Cameron should have sacked him sooner Ministerial business Dr Fox’s own admissions that his personal and professional responsibilities were no longer separate came after a week of pressure about his close ties to his friend Mr Werr

itty, culminating in Fox’s decision to resign last Friday.

Mr Werritty and Fox came under scrutiny after it was revealed that the two had had regular meetings concerning ministerial business, including trips and discussions abroad, despite Werrity not being an MOD employee or an MP. Some commentators have suggested that Liam Fox did not want to be hounded out by a media campaign, but following an inquiry into the issue by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell, it was concluded that Mr Fox’s actions indeed did break the ministerial code, although it was also established that he did not gain financially from the situation. Yet Shadow Defence Secretary Jim Murphy claims that the report only touched the surface of the issues surrounding Dr Fox and Mr Werritty’s reported involvements with numerous organisations, including the ‘Atlantic Bridge’ charity founded by Dr Fox, and the not-for-profit ‘Pargav’ company that was allegedly set up to fund Mr Werritty’s expeditions abroad. 'Serious shortcomings' Murphy’s letter to the Prime Minister regarding his concerns has since been published in the national press , and details what he calls ‘serious shortcomings in the scope of the [MOD] inquiry’.

Murphy has claimed that the truth is being held back in large part by Cameron, stating that ‘we are searching for the truth here, and only three people know everything. One of them has resigned, one of them is Mr Werritty about whose whereabouts we have no idea, and the third person who knows everything,’ he said, ‘is the Prime Minister’. share Liam Fox and Adam Werritty: latest - Telegraph Politics Liam Fox and Adam Werritty: latest Defence Secretary Liam Fox resigns over links to best man Adam Werritty, as former Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond is appointed to take over his position. Image 1 of 4 Liam Fox with his best man Adam Werritty outside St Margaret's Church in Westminster, London Photo: PHILIP IDE

Question: From which Cabinet post did Liam Fox resign last year?
Answer: DEFENCE SECRETARY